As we’ve entered 2023, it’s time to reflect on the past year and plan to make the most of the new year. Despite the market being very hit-and-miss in 2022, we still managed to see plenty of positives for Estate Agents when it came to Website Creation and Digital Marketing, it’s critical we capitalise on these and use them to our advantage in 2023.
By Ben Spowart
In this article, Property Webmasters will run through some examples of how your Estate Agency can make a positive start in 2023 and stay ahead of your competitors. We’ll discuss trends, customer service, attracting new business and much more!
There’s no better way to start the year than by planning, not only your content but other areas of your Estate Agency such as budgets and recruitment too. It’s vital that an effective plan is produced whether it’s created as a collaborative effort from the whole team or if the management team were to take the lead on this. These plans should take into consideration the team’s current workload, SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound) objectives should be created that are challenging and achievable, as well as thinking of some new ways to generate business.
Let’s start by looking at the content planner, this is a document that will be shared with the whole team and will be used daily. For this activity, we would suggest getting the entire team involved in this process, even if it’s just asking for their suggestions that will help you create both individual and team objectives that they will be happy and motivated to work towards. Within this content plan, you should look at current strategies that are working well for your Estate Agents and continue to implement them into the new year however still think of some out-the-box ideas that will make your business stand out from the crowd.
When thinking about your budgets for 2023, it’s a good idea to reflect on the budgets and spending across 2022. When you analyse the outgoings, it will help you conclude whether you spent these budgets effectively or if changes need to be made this year. For your Estate Agency, we would recommend putting aside some budget for Marketing and Recruitment. In the quieter months, Marketing can be a useful tool to generate leads and create excitement around your Estate Agency.
It’s time to look at creating an effective plan around recruitment. You might have had a successful 2022 and want to expand your Estate Agency team, this is where your budget can work wonders. Online recruitment is thriving, so we would recommend advertising your roles on websites such as LinkedIn and Indeed. You have the ability on these websites to put some money behind your advertisements, which will result in the post reaching more candidates and will ultimately generate some interest around your Estate Agency.
Let’s look at how your Estate Agency can benefit from advertising to both new and existing clients. Throughout this section of the guide, we will run through some ways you can advertise your business. Although it’s good to focus your attention in 2023 on bringing in new business for your Estate Agency, you still mustn’t forget about your existing business too.
You can use your current email database to your advantage when it comes to marketing. Within your database, you will find clients who have either done business with your Estate Agency in the past, along with potential clients who may have signed up for a newsletter from your business. Let’s look at how we can use this data effectively.
Focus your efforts on Email Marketing. Using your current database, we’d recommend you create an email that will entice your customers to enquire. Whether the email contains some of your new properties and developments, a meet-the-team style layout or even focusing on why customers should choose your Estate Agency. It’s important that you don’t forget about your current database while trying to attract new clientele.
One way to attract new business for your Estate Agency is by exploring social media Paid Ads. This includes Facebook ads, along with Instagram ads too. Creating a campaign through AdsManager will allow you to target specific audiences and locations. A paid ad will appear on customers’ social media newsfeeds, so it’s important that the content within these ads is correct. High-quality imagery and a clear CTA (Call to Action) will help you stand out from the crowd.
Why not look at the Organic Social route? This service will help increase your Estate Agency’s brand awareness, resulting in more reach, engagement and impressions. Implementing an effective organic social strategy will only benefit your business and will help get potential customers familiar with your company. Organic social allows you to showcase your personality, as well as attract traffic and leads for your properties with a strong call to action.
The key to success is creating a good rapport with your new and existing clients, providing exceptional customer service both in person and online. Clients like to feel valued, so whether it’s your first interaction with them or your hundredth, continue to maintain a high level of professionalism. Going the extra mile for clients will build trust and they will undoubtedly appreciate it. Even if the client doesn’t purchase anything on this occasion, creating a lasting impression will prompt them to come back to your Estate Agency in the future.
Make one of your focuses in 2023 to review your Estate Agency’s response times, whether that’s on social media, on the phones or even via email. Responding to customers as quickly as possible is a cornerstone of excellent customer service. For example, if the customer asked your Estate Agency a complex question that will take a significant any of time to answer, be honest with them, explain the magnitude of the task and ensure that you will get back to them as soon as possible. Customers will appreciate this and will be understanding.
Another type of factor in providing exceptional customer service is actively listening to the customer. Take time out of your day to reach out to the customer, ask for their feedback and discuss any objectives they have. When speaking to the customer, listen to what they have to say without pushing your Estate Agency’s agenda. Continue to use effective open questioning, demonstrating your interest as well as your willingness to help the customer.
It’s important that going into 2023, you implement the above into your current customer service strategy and this will no doubt produce exceptional customer service. There is no question that great customer service keeps your current customers loyal to your Estate Agency as well as helping you attract new customers.
Start 2023 by reviewing your competitors, what did they do in 2022 that worked well? Can your Estate Agency take inspiration from some of their ideas?
It’s important to start the new year strong, your Estate Agency should take all the necessary steps to stay ahead of your competitors. Start by studying the likes of your competitor’s social posts, blog content, emails and campaigns, these could help your agency to gain or improve successful strategies. For example, when reviewing your competitor’s social posts, look at their imagery/video content, layout and call to action. Is there anything you can take away from these posts that would be useful for your Estate Agency?
The next step is to track your agency’s 2022 data to ensure the strategies you put time and effort into creating are successful and worthwhile. You can track this data via Google Analytics. Sadly, it’s not possible to view your competitor’s data however it’s still good to review your own as it’s a good indication if you are heading in the right direction when it comes to digital marketing.
When you are monitoring your competitors, it’s important to look at both the successful and unsuccessful campaigns. What worked well for them? Was there a campaign or post that was unsuccessful? Studying and analysing both these factors, will help your Estate Agency when creating successful campaigns in 2023, as well as helping to avoid making any similar mistakes.
There are plenty of reasons why your Estate Agency should continue to focus on trends in 2023. Staying informed on trends will help your Estate Agency build credibility and demonstrate to new and existing customers that you are up to date with the property industry. It’s stated that a successful Estate Agency will spend time researching the latest news and developments within the industry, so we would highly recommend putting some time aside to do this.
Let’s start this section off by looking at social media trends and why they are important to your Estate Agency. We understand that social media can be a difficult place when it comes to getting reach and engagement however if you follow the latest trends and implement them into your social strategy, this will maximise the chances of your posts doing organically well. It’s been stated that the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are focusing on video content in 2023, so this is something that your Estate Agency should look at focusing on. For example, if you were thinking of creating a social media post dedicated to one of your new properties and wanted it to stand out, a video would accompany this post brilliantly.
Social media isn’t the only trend your Estate Agency should be looking out for, another important one is keeping up to date with industry-related news and trends. It’s crucial that the information that your Estate Agency is publishing, discussing, and sharing is correct. This again links back to competitor analysis and studying what is working well within the property industry. As well as looking at your competitors, we would recommend signing up for LinkedIn newsletters and email blasts published by experts within the industry. This is the perfect way to learn new things and implement them into your 2023 strategy.
As you will know, every year has its ups and downs when it comes to gaining leads, gaining inquiries, selling properties and so on. It’s time to be proactive in 2023 and go that extra mile. Exceptional customer service can play a huge part in the success of your Estate Agency, remember to provide the same level of customer service online as you would if the customer was face-to-face with you. This can leave a lasting impression on the customer and prompt them to return to your Estate Agency in the future. Seek new customers by exploring paid advertisements, creating campaigns that are relevant to your ideal customer, along with consistently posting across your social media platforms to increase your Estate Agency’s brand awareness.
When you’re having quieter periods within the Estate Agency, we would recommend optimising this by reviewing your current strategy. Can you think of some new email campaigns that will benefit your Estate Agency? Do you want to focus your efforts on video content? We’d recommend going for it and testing the waters, especially in these quieter periods!
If you’re interested in implementing these ideas into your 2023 strategy, please feel free to contact Property Webmasters and we are more than happy to help with this!
By Ben Spowart
By Ben Spowart
By James Sheldon